Thursday, December 5, 2013

Iran-Iraq Ties, Strategic – Rouhani

Note: An earlier version of this post appeared on Wednesday

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today greeted the
visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, describing Iran-Iraq ties as
“strategic.” Maliki arrived in Tehran on Wednesday for two days of
talks with senior Iranian officials. It is Maliki's first visit to Tehran since
Rouhani became president.

Rouhani also called for expanded economic
cooperation between the two countries as well as joint efforts to help put an
end to the crisis in Syria. (IRNA, 5 December)
Iran is a key ally of Assad’s regime, and Iraqi Shia militant groups are
fighting under the Iranian direction in Syria. Iran is also using the Iraqi
airspace to supply arms to the Syrians. But the Syrian conflict has
spilled over into Iraq, with the country suffering from a surge in terrorist
attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an Al-Qaeda
affiliate heavily involved in Syrian conflict.

Also the status of MKO militants at Camp Liberty near
Baghdad was expected to have been discussed. In September, during a terrorist
attack on Camp Ashraf, more than 50 unarmed members of the organization were
killed. The Iraqi government has not yet identified the group behind the
killings, but Iran is suspected to have ordered the attack.

Maliki will visit Mashhad, a Shiite pilgrimage city in
the northeast Iran, at the end of his talks in Tehran.

Meanwhile, Iran and Iraq were at
odds yesterday at OPEC, with both fiercely backing their respective candidates
to become the next secretary general of the organization. Yesterday’s meeting in
Vienna ended with neither of the candidates able to muster the majority vote.

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